HOT SPRINGS, N.C. (ABP) — The third-annual Wild Goose Festival opened in early August in the mountains of North Carolina, with organizers and many participants hoping the outdoor gathering will heal divisions between conservative, progressive and moderate Christians. National leaders…
Woman follows her parents into ministry, despite ups and downs of life as preacher’s kid
(ABP) — Now and then, a preacher's kid follows a parent into the ministry. But when the moment of decision came for Leah Anderson Reed, she decided to follow both her father and mother into ordination. Reed, 27, was ordained…
Egyptian Baptist pastor warns against entanglement of religion and politics
(ABP) — In a letter describing the Islamist persecution of Christians in Egypt, a Baptist minister in Cairo provides a disturbing warning against the entanglement of religion and politics. And portions of the letter, two U.S. church scholars say, are…
Swallowed or saved? When small churches merge with large ones
Some see the nation’s burgeoning church merger and multisite movements resulting from larger congregations preying on smaller ones, pressuring them into relinquishing buildings and land in exchange for survival. In some circles, that’s called “steeple-jacking.” But it’s also largely a…
Pastors whose congregations face foreclosure say it’s vital to act, recall church is not a building
(ABP) — A Missionary Baptist pastor in Anniston, Ala., learned recently that his church faces foreclosure and its building may be auctioned to the highest bidder by the end of the month. The Anniston Star reported that Pastor La’Noan Ealy…
Neo-monastic communities like Grace and Main may serve as future models for church plants
DANVILLE, Va. (ABP) — Intentional, service-focused Christian communities are getting a lot of buzz in the emergent and missional movements these days, and they’re catching the eye of Baptist groups like the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. But the movement — sometimes…
At 81, North Carolina Baptist joins Moral Monday protests
GREENSBORO (ABP) — When Baptist Jacqueline Allen of Chapel Hill began participating this month in the Moral Monday protests against the Republican-led North Carolina legislature, she got a loving-but-firm admonition from her daughter and son-in-law: don’t get arrested. “An 81-year-old…
‘Dawnings’ is spiritual formation for churches, not a strategic plan, CBF leaders say
GREENSBORO (ABP) — Dawnings, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s new missional process for congregations, is about discerning God’s will for churches and ministries, Bo Prosser, coordinator of missional congregations, said during a presentation about the system in Greensboro. What it is…
At CBF’s General Assembly, old structures will pass into history, say leaders
General Assembly 2013 is expected to be one of the busier — and more historic — gatherings in the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s history, as participants welcome a new leader and vote to significantly streamline the organization to meet current and…